Planned Operations of World War II Planned Operations of World War II NOTE: This is an early version created by agglomerating information from Wikipedia. The descriptions are essentially straight from wikipedia. This is a placeholder to provide a place for starting research. It will be revised extensively as I research more into each operation and verify Wikipedia's claims. Soviet Union Saturn (1942) — Proposed major attack following the Stalingrad encirclement; revised to Little Saturn. Sweden Rädda Danmark ("Save Denmark") (1945) — Swedish plan to liberate Denmark before the country was occupied by the Soviet Union (cancelled because of German surrender) Rädda Själland (1945) — Swedish landings on Zealand Rädda Bornholm (1945) — Swedish landings on Bornholm Spain C (1939) — Spanish plan for the seizure of Gibraltar British Empire Plan W (1942) – Joint British/Irish planning to deal with a German invasion of Ireland.

Operation Accolade (1942) proposed British occupation of Rhodes, and subsequently, failed occupation of the Dodecanese Operation Constellation (1943) — one of several proposals to retake the Channel Islands Operation Condor (1943) — proposal to retake Jersey Operation Concertina (1943) — proposal to retake Alderney Operation Coverlet (1943) — proposal to retake Guernsey Operation Comet (1944) - Early Version of Market Garden Operation Ventilate (1945) — cancelled assault crossing of the Maas by British 3rd Infantry Division Operation Backbone & Backbone II (1942 & 1943) — contingency plans to occupy Spanish Morocco and area around Gibraltar if Germans entered Spain Operation Challenger (?) — plan to seize Ceuta Operation Culverin (1943) — Proposed allied invasion of northern Sumatra Operation Zipper (1945) Planned British seaborne landing in Malaya.

Operation Catherine (1939) British plan to gain control of Baltic Sea Operation Jupiter (1942) — suggested invasion of Norway Operation R 4 (1940) — Planned British invasion of Norway United States of America Giant II — cancelled landing of U.S. 82nd Airborne near Rome. Operation Olympic Operation Roundup (1942) - plan to invade Europe in event of German or Soviet collapse. Operation Sledgehammer (1942) - establishment of beachhead in Cherbourg or Brest. Operation Roundhammer – Revised version of Roundup. Nazi Germany Fall Blau (Case Blue) 1935 - German defense planning on the eastern border, simultaneously with Fall Rot Fall Rot (Case Red) 1935 - German defense planning on the western border, simultaneously with Fall Blau. The 1940 version was used to invade France.

Fall Otto (Case Otto) 1937 - German plan to occupy Austria Fall Richard 1937 - German contingency planning for Soviet takeover of Spain Fall Rot 1937 - German planned invasion of Czechoslovakia Fall Grün 1938 - German plan for invasion of Czechoslovakia Fall Otto 1938 - German plan to establish a puppet government in Austria Unternehmen Nordwest 1939 - German study for a potential invasion of Britain; parts of Operation Nordwest were integrated into Operation Seelöwe Plan Z 1939 - German plan to expand the Kriegsmarine to match the strength of the British Royal Navy Unternehmen Felix 1940 - German planned invasion of Gibraltar via the Iberian Peninsula Unternehmen Seelöwe 1940 - German planned invasion of Britain; anglicised as 'Sealion' Fall Grün (Case Green) 1940 - German plan for a diversionary invasion of Ireland in support of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Grüne Bewegung 1940 - German planned landing at Brighton, England; part of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Herbstreise (Autumn Journey) 194

0 - German planned diversionary invasion of Scotland, Britain; part of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Hummel 1940 - German intelligence gathering for Operation Seelöwe Dietrich (1942) — planned counter-attack to relieve Sixth Army using Grossdeutschland & LSSAH.

Unimplemented.

Unternehmen Ikarus 1940 - German planned invasion of Iceland in response to British Operation Fork; originally planned to launch in conjunction with Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Kathleen 1940 - German planned invasion of Ireland Unternehmen Lucie 1940 - German planned invasion of the Dutch island of Texel in the North Sea Unternehmen Löwe 1940 - German planned invasion of Britain; precursor of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Spark 1940 - German planned assassination of Adolf Hitler and coup d'état against the Nazi German government Unternehmen Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree) 1940 - German planned invasion of Switzerland Unternehmen Wal 1940 - German aborted plan to coordinate actions with Scottish and Welsh nationalist groups Unternehmen Fritz 1941 - German planned invasion of the Soviet Union; later abandoned in favor of Operation Barbarossa Unternehmen Isabella 1941 - German planned invasion of the Iberian Peninsula Unternehmen Strafe 1941 - German planned invasion of Bulgaria Unternehmen Südwind 1941 - German defense plan against a general uprising in occupied France Unternehmen Alpenveilchen (Alpine Violet) 1941 - German aborted planned intervention during the

 Italian invasion of Albania Unternehmen Sportpalast 1942 - Failed planned naval operation to attack Arctic convoys PQ-12 and QP-8 Fall Anton 1942 - German occupation of Vichy France with Italian support in 1942 Unternehmen Bettelstab 1942 - German planned offensive at Leningrad, USSR Unternehmen Donnerschlag 1942 - German planned break-out movement from Stalingrad, USSR Unternehmen Gertrud 1942 - German planned response in case of Turkey joining the Allies Unternehmen Gisella 1942 - German planned invasion of the Iberian peninsula; revised from Operation Isabella Unternehmen Herbstzeitlose 1942 - German cancelled planned plan to advance to the Don and Volga Rivers in the Caucasus region of Southern USSR Unternehmen Herkules 1942 - German planned airborne invasion of Malta Unternehmen Hornbläser 1942 - German planned attack on Alexandria harbor, Egypt Unternehmen Ilona 1942 - German planned invasion of the Iberian peninsula; revised from Operation Isabella Unternehmen Lila 1942 - German attempt to capture French fleet at Toulon, France Unternehmen Mö

we I 1942 - German planned operation to sabotage aluminum factories in southern Scotland, Britain Unternehmen Nordlicht 1942 - German planned attack on Leningrad, USSR; formerly planned as Operation Feuerzauber Unternehmen Nordpol 1942 - German cancelled planned operation east of Moscow, USSR Unternehmen Pastorious 1942 - German plan to sabotage industrial targets at Long Island, New York, United States Unternehmen Schamil 1942 - German planned operation to secure Caucasus oil fields in Southern USSR using paratroopers Unternehmen Silberstreife 1942 - German planned operations against Allied convoys to Murmansk, USSR Unternehmen Brunhild 1943 - German planned evacuation from the Caucasus region in Southern USSR Unternehmen Husar 1943 - German cancelled planned anti-shipping operation in Kara Sea by Lützow Unternehmen Michael 1943 - German cancelled planned evacuation of Crimea Unternehmen Nürnberg 1943 - German planned response in case of an Allied invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, focusing largely around the defense of the Pyrenees passes Unternehmen Panzerfaust 1943 - German operation to kidnap Miklós Horthy's son

 to prevent Horthy from siding with the Allies; codename later changed to Maus Unternehmen Rabat 1943 - German plan to kidnap the Pope from the Vatican City Unternehmen Schwarz 1943 - German plan in the event of an Italian surrender Unternehmen Ulm 1943 - German planned aerial bombing operation against Soviet industries in the Ural Mountains Unternehmen Wunderland II 1943 - German planned naval operation involving Admiral Scheer in the East Siberian Sea Fall Falke 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Norway Fall Forelle I 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of the Balkans via the Adriatic Sea Fall Forelle II 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of the Balkans via the Aegean Sea Unternehmen Freischütz 1944 - German cancelled planned operation to occupy the island of Vis off Croatia, Yugoslavia Unternehmen Großer Schlag 1944 - German planned mass-deployment of fighters against Allied bombers Unternehmen Herbstnebel 1944 - German rejected plan to withdraw German troops in Italy behind the Po River Unternehmen Laura 1944 -

 German proposed planned evacuation of Courland, Latvia Fall Marder 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy; activated after Allies launched Operation Shingle Fall Marder I 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy via the Ligurian Sea; part of Fall Marder Fall Marder II 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy via the Adriatic Sea; part of Fall Marder Unternehmen Martin 1944 - German planned attack of the Ardennes region as proposed by Gerd von Rundstet; rejected by Adolf Hitler for being too conservative Unternehmen Richard 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy; activated after Allies launched Operation Shingle Unternehmen Tanne West 1944 - German planned invasion of the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea from Finland Unternehmen Walküre 1944 - German attempt to overthrow Adolf Hitler, written under the cover of a plan to foil potential worker rebellions; Anglicized as 'Valkyre' Unternehmen Zeppelin 1944 - German failed operation to destroy power plants in Moscow, USSR Unternehmen Aktion 

24 1945 - German aborted planned suicide aerial attack on bridges over river Weichsel in attempt to disrupt Soviet supply lines Unternehmen Alpenfestung 1945 - German plan for a redoubt in the German Alps Unternehmen Gertraud 1945 - German planned aerial bombing of hydropower plants east of Moscow, USSR Imperial Japan Operation FS 1944 - Japanese cancelled plan to isolate Australia by capturing New Caledonia, Samoa, and Fiji Operation Ketsu-Go 1945 - Japanese defense plan against potential American invasion of the Japanese home islands Operation Ken 1945 - Cancelled Japanese operation to use transports to land suicide troops on American airfields in the Mariana Islands Operation Kon-Go 1945 - Cancelled Japanese offensive against American ships using manned torpedoes Bibliography Allied Order of Battle for Operation DOWNFALL Allied Order of Battle for Operation Downfall By Ryan Crierie with significant input from Trent Telenko Note: This is a Work in Progress (Updated 9 November 2012) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships General Kenney Reports by George C.

Kenney Code-Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan...And Why Truman Dropped The Bomb by Thomas B. Allen and Norman Polmar Remembering Okinawa; 316th BW (VH) Area ( LINK ) 346 Bomb Group ( LINK ) U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945 by Gordon L. Rottman Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire by Richard B. Frank Source Documents: Reports of General MacArthur, Volume I ( Plates 118 and Plate 124 ) JCS 1455 Requirements for Land-based and Carrier-based Aircraft to Accomplish the Defeat of Japan ( HTML ) ( PDF ) GHQ AFPAC O.I. No.

1 Operations in the Pacific Ocean Areas During the Month of August 1945; CINCPAC, 10 December 1945 ( HTML ) CINCPAC War Diary – July 1945 CINCPAC War Diary – 1 August 1945 to 31 August 1945 Second Marine Aircraft Wing War Diary – 1 August to 30 August 1945 Marine Photographic Squadron (VMD) 254 War Diary – 1 Aug to 31 Aug 1945 COMSUBLANT War Diary, 1 Aug 45 to 31 Aug 45 [1] “The original plans for Operation Olympic, the projected invasion of the Japanese home islands, made no provision for PT operations. Subsequent to the drafting of the operation plan, however, the Commander Amphibious Force Pacific Fleet asked Commodore Bates to submit a plan for use of PT's off Japan, and subordinate commanders of the Amphibious Force made requests on him to provide more than 200 PT's for use in connection with the invasion.

Hostilities ended before the plan could be submitted.” – At Close Quarters PT Boats in the United States Navy, Page 441 [2] The Army Air Forces in World War II: Volume V [3] I Could Never Be So Lucky Again by James H. Doolittle U.S. Secret Weapons/Tactics P-80A: The 412th FG (29th FS, 31 FS, 445th FS) was working up for deployment to the PTO with the P-80A during the summer when the war ended. (Baugher), and the 414th FG in the Philippines supposedly received 30~ P-80A via an aircraft carrier shipment, but since they didn’t have the wingtip tanks or batteries with the shipment, they weren’t able to use them until after the war. B-29s from Soviet Bases: At Yalta, Stalin agreed to provide two bases in the Soviet Far East for B-29 operations.

Forward Deployment of Tactical Air: After Kyushu was cleared and built up, it would have provided space for 40 more Air Groups, allowing shorter ranged aircraft to range across Southern Honshu in preparation for CORONET. Mass Defoliant use in Japan: It was found during testing as part of “Project Sphinx” that mass use of defoliant left the treated area very prone to burning when hit with Napalm. In terms of “prone”; think “forest fires” or “massive grass fires.” So one tactic that might have possibly been used would be to treat areas that Allied forces were expecting to operate in with defoliant, and then just before ground forces moved in, launch a series of Napalm strikes to strip effective concealment from Japanese caves across a wide area. Also, as a bonus; this would destroy surface-laid wire communications in the burned out areas. [T. Telenko] A U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) (General Carl Spaatz) Notes: Established 16 July 1945 to control the Strategic Bombardment aspect of DOWNFALL.

Major General Curtis LeMay became Spaatz’s Chief of Staff after being relieved of XXI Bomber Command. References: ( USASTAF OOB of 15 August 1945 – The Strategic Air War Against Germany and Japan: A Memoir by Haywood S. Hansell, Jr.[ LINK ]) JCS 742/12 Directive on the Establishment of U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces (USASTAF) ( HTML ) ( PDF ) Eighth Air Force (Formerly XX Bomber Command) Twentieth Air Force (formerly XXI Bomber Command) (Marianas) (Lt. General Nathan F. Twining) R.A.F. “Tiger Force” / Very Long Range Bomber Force Notes: Originally “Tiger Force” was to be a force of 40 squadrons, with half being tankers, but by May 1945, the US had indicated that it would accept a force of 10 squadrons (220 aircraft) initially, with a possible build-up to as many as 20 squadrons if they were needed.

The first five squadrons would have been available by the end of October 1945, with a buildup at a rate of four squadrons per month. Sources: JCS 1120/1 British Participation in VLR Bombing of Japan ( HTML ) ( PDF ) JCS 1120/4 British Participation in VLR Bombing of Japan ( HTML ) ( PDF ) Tactical Air Force Pacific (TAFP) (General George C. Kenney) Fort McKinley, Philippines Notes: It was due to General Kenney’s personal insistence for twin-engine fighter aircraft for long overwater flights that production of the P-38 continued into 1945. Additionally, FEAF Headquarters was very much against the A-26 Invader, preferring to use the older B-25 Mitchells wherever possible. Notes II: On 13 July 1945, General Kenney, COMGENFEAF became head of Tactical Air Force Pacific, which replaced FEAF. Units which reported directly to TAFP HQ 2d Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Photographic) (F-7) (Palawan) U.S.

Pacific Fleet Organization – 1 May 1945 ( LINK to Hyperwar ) CINCPAC War Diary – August 1945 First Fleet (CINCPAC) Task Force 11 South Pacific Force (VADM Calhoun – COMSOPAC) Task Force 12 Units in Transit or on Special Missions answering directly to CINCPAC Task Force 13 Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet (ADM Turner – COMPHIBSPAC) Task Force 14 Fleet Operational Training Command, Pacific (RADM Holloway – COTCPAC) Task Force 15 Cruisers, Destroyers, Pacific Fleet (RADM Blandy – COMCRUPAC/COMDESPAC) Task Force 16 Service Force, Pacific Fleet (VADM W.W. Smith – COMSERVPAC) Task Force 17 Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet (VADM Lockwood – COMSUBPAC) Task Force 18 Mine Craft, Pacific Fleet (RADM Sharp – COMINPAC) Task Force 19 Air Force, Pacific Fleet (RADM Montgomery – COMAIRPAC) Third Fleet (Admiral William F.

Halsey) Task Force 34 Heavy Surface Striking Force (RADM Shafroth) Task Force 35 Light Surface Striking Force (RADM J.C. Jones) Task Force 38 Second Carrier Task Force (VADM McCain) (COM2NDCARTASKFORPAC) Fourth Fleet (CINCPAC) Task Force 49 (RADM Martin) Fifth Fleet (Admiral Raymond A. Spruance) Seventh Fleet (ADM T.C. Kinkaid) Task Force 70 Special Groups / Allied Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area Task Force 71 Submarines (RADM Fife – COMSUBSEVENTHFLEET) Task Force 72 Service Forces (RADM Glover) Task Force 74 Cruisers (RADM Good) Task Force 75 Philippine Sea Frontier (VADM Kauffman – COMPHILSEAFRON) Task Force 79 U.S.

Naval Forces Australia-New Guinea (RADM van Hook) Ninth Fleet (CINCPAC) Task Force 90 Shore Based Air Force Task Force 91 Alaskan Sea Frontier Forces Task Force 92 Striking Force - - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - - British East Indies Fleet (Admiral Sir A.J. Power) “At the conclusion of hostilities, The British East Indies Fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir A. J. Power, consisted of two battleships, HMS Nelson and Richelieu, (French), nine cruisers, (including the Dutch Van Tromp), 14 escort carriers, 25 destroyers, and numerous auxiliaries. Based at Trincomalee and Colombo in Ceylon, this fleet formed part of the Allied Forces under the operations control of the Southeast Asia Command. Late in August, units of this fleet were massed off the NICOBARS awaiting to proceed to Singapore. Another force had already reached SABANG off the northern tip of Sumatra.

Still a larger force, under the command of Vice Admiral Walker in HMS Nelson, was anchored off PENANG (Malaya) while surrender negotiations were under way. Minesweepers were busy clearing the approaches.” - - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - - PT-600 Notes: Division A on 1 August 1945 enroute to the Philippine Islands from the Canal Zone via the Liberty Ship S.S. Joseph P. Bradley. On 11 August, crossed the international dateline at 9 degrees, 15 minutes north. Arrived at Guiuan Harbor, Samar, Philippines on 25 August. On 29 August the boats were in the water and proceeding to PT Base Seventeen at Bobon Point, Samar, Philippines. Division B on 1 August 1945 was at Taboga Island, Panama undergoing training and waiting for transportation to the Philippines. On 9 August, departed the Canal Zone onboard the S.S. William H. Crawford. On 1 September, crossed the international dateline at 8 degrees, 30 minutes north.

On 17 September, arrived at Guiuan Harbor, Samar, Philippines. All boats waterborne by the end of the day and proceeding to PT Base Seventeen at Bobon Point, Samar, Philippines. Division C on 1 August 1945 was at Taboga Island, Panama undergoing training and waiting for transportation to the Philippines. On 15 September, sailed from the Canal zone aboard the S.S. Ben Robinson. On 25 October, all the boats were waterborne in Guiuan Harbor, Samar, Philippines and proceeding to PT Base Seventeen at Bobon Point, Samar, Philippines. References: MTBRON 40 War Diary, August-October 1945 ( PDF Excerpt ) Project HULA Battleship Division Three (BATDIV 3) BB-40 New Mexico (New Mexico) VO-3 Detachment (2 x OS2U-3) BB-41 Mississippi (New Mexico) VO-3 Detachment (2 x OS2U-3) BB-42 Idaho (New Mexico) VO-3 Detachment (2 x OS2U-3) Notes: Observation Squadron Three (Obsron 3) VO-3 attached.

Battleship Division Five (BATDIV 5) BB-33 Arkansas (Wyoming) VO-5 Detachment (2 x OS2U-3) BB-35 Texas (New York) (San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippines) VO-5 Detachment (2 x OS2U-3) Cruiser Division One (CRUDIV 1) CL-8 Detroit (Omaha) Detachment (1 x OS2N-1, 1 x OS2U-3) CL-9 Richmond (Omaha) (Around Alaska) Detachment (1 x OS2N-1, 1 x OS2U-3) CL-10 Concord (Omaha) (Around Alaska) Detachment (1 x OS2N-1, 1 x OS2U-3) CL-11 Trenton (Omaha) (San Francisco NY) Detachment (1 x OS2N-1, 1 x OS2U-3) Notes: Cruiser Scout Squadron One (CruScoRon 1) attached.

Cruiser Division Four (CRUDIV 4) CA-33 Portland (Portland) (En route to Buckner Bay; arriving there on 6 August) Detachment (1 x SOC-1, 1 x SOC-2) Cruiser Division Five (CRUDIV 5) CA-24 Pensacola (Pensacola) (Sailed from Mare Island NY on 3 August for Adak, AK) CA-25 Salt Lake City (Pensacola) (Okinawa) Detachment (1 x OS2N-1, 1 x OS2U-3) CA-27 Chester (Northampton) (Sailing to the Aleutians) Detachment (2 x SC-1) Cruiser Division Six (CRUDIV 6) CA-32 New Orleans (New Orleans) (Subic Bay) Detachment (2 x SC-1) CA-36 Minneapolis (New Orleans) (Subic Bay) Detachment (2 x SC-1) CV-4 Ranger (Ranger) (San Diego) CVE-29 Santee (Sangamon) CVE-58 Corregidor (Casablanca) (Pearl Harb) CVE

-62 Natoma Bay (Casablanca) (Pearl) CVE-64 Tripoli (Pearl) CVE-65 Wake Island (Casablanca) (San Diego) CVE-72 Tulagi (San Diego NYD) CVE-77 Marcus Island (Casablanca) (pearl) CVE-78 Savo Island (Casablanca) (San Fran) CVE-80 Petrof Bay (Casablanca) (San Fran NY) CVE-81 Rudyerd Bay (Casablanca) (San Fran) CVE-82 Saginaw Bay (Casablanca) CVE-83 Sargent Bay (Casablanca) (Pearl) CVE-84 Shamrock Bay (Casablanca) (San Diego NY) CVE-85 Shipley Bay (Casablanca) (Pearl) CVE-87 Steamer Bay (Casablanca) (Pearl) CVE-89 Takanis Bay (Casablanca) (San Fran) CVE-91 Makassar Strait (Casablanca) (Ppearl) CVE-101 Matanikau (Casablanca

) CVE-105 Commencement Bay (Commencement Bay) (Seattle) Operation Olympic/Majestic 1 November 1945 (Invasion of Kyushu) Notes: Because of a possible compromise of the OLYMPIC codename through its publication in a RESTRICTED document, on 9 August 1945, MAJESTIC was substituted for OLYMPIC in all subsequent planning.

[2] All ground forces would have reported to General MacArthur who was now head of U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific. Sixth Army (General Walter Kreuger) Nakakoshiki Ura & Koshiki Retto (X-4) 40th Infantry Division (Panay) 1 x Amphibian Tank Battalion 1 x Tank Destroyer Battalion 2 x Amphibian Tractor Battalions Afloat Reserve to be used for a Diversionary Threat at Shikoku (X-2 to X-Day) IX Corps 81st Infantry Division (Leyte) (MGEN Paul J. Mueller) 98th Infantry Division (Oahu, Hawaii) (MGEN Arthur M. Harper) 2 x Tank Battalions attached to IX Corps 1 x Tank Destroyer Battalion attached to IX Corps 2 x Amphibian Tractor Battalions attached to IX Corps Follow-Up Forces for Sixth Army 11th Airborne Division (Follow-Up – Available on Y+35 for Honshu) (Luzon) 1 x Tank Battalion GHQ Reserve – U.S.

Army Forces Pacific 7d Infantry Division (Okinawa) (Ready 10 November 1945) 6d Infantry Division (Luzon) (Ready 20 November 1945) 96th Infantry Division (Mindano) (Ready 20 November 1945) U.S. / Royal Navy Forces Available for Olympic/Majestic FAST CARRIER TASK FORCE Un-Named Strategic Reserve Corps (Philippines – Available Y+35) 91st Infantry Division 104th Infantry Division Fourth Army Notes: Fourth Army was in Texas preparing for operations in the PTO when V-J Day occurred. It was to be sent to the PTO to support continued operation on Honshu if it proved necessary. Tenth Army (General Joseph W. Stilwell) Notes: Originally, Tenth Army was to take part in CORONET, but early on in planning, MacArthur stripped Tenth Army of its combat units and distributed them to other units; leaving Tenth Army as an occupation force in Okinawa. If however, the need for more higher level HQs had become acute during operations in Japan, Tenth Army could have been deployed to Japan.

PBS - Thematic Window: World War II WORLD WAR II "One day during World War II, there occurred a wholly unexpected turning point in my thinking about life and the world. I was a Marine Corps officer stationed in Italy, 32 years old. There was a saying in the war-time military that life was 'Hurry up and wait.'" At times you had to act in a desperate hurry, and other times you just had to wait. In one of the moments of waiting, I was walking along a hillside when it occurred to me that my life had been turned upside down twice by events in the outside world -- the Great Depression and World War II -- yet I had never studied the economic, political, and social forces that produced such events. As a psychologist, I had confined myself to individual behavior, leaving it to others to worry about the big world. I had concluded that I hadn't been very smart in that neglect, and I wrote home for a couple of books, beginning a course of study that broadened and deepened over the years.

In a sense, that day laid out an agenda that changed my life." John Gardner, Journals On December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes bombed American ships berthed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, prompting the United States to enter World War II. The war was one of the bloodiest and largest in human history, entailing the full mobilization of American society to support battles from the islands of the Pacific to the forests of Europe and the deserts of North Africa. More than 60 million people were killed, including tens of millions of civilians, and more than 405,000 Americans lost their lives in battle. The bombing of Pearl Harbor directly led the United States into the war, but its seeds were planted years before. Fascist dictators had taken power in Italy (Benito Mussolini in 1922) and Germany (Adolf Hitler in 1933), and Japan began to expand its reach when it invaded China in 1937. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and Great Britain and France declared war on Germany in return.

Over the next two years, Germany would invade France, begin bombing Britain, and break its alliance with Russia, invading that country as well. The United States aided its ally, Great Britain, through the Lend-Lease Act which provided them with naval ships, and once America entered the war, its troops fought alongside its allies all over the world. When John Gardner entered the Marine Corps in early 1943, the Allied war effort was not going well. Japanese forces had taken the Philippines, while the German army continued its march across the Soviet Union and North Africa. But the next year, the tide began to turn. The Allies beat back the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway, while the Germans were stopped at Stalingrad and routed in North Africa by Generals George S. Patton of the United States and Bernard Montgomery of Great Britain. From this southern flank, the Allies invaded Italy, landing on Sicily in July of 1943. John Gardner would see action during the Italian campaign. But the Italian invasion was just a precursor to the largest amphibious invasion in history, Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Led by General Dwight D.

Eisenhower, the Allied forces suffered heavy losses, but were able to secure the beachhead and begin the march across Europe from the West, while their Russian allies headed to Germany from the East. On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered, and the European war was over. After two bloody battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, islands crucial for an invasion of Japan, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Five days later, Japan surrendered to the Pacific commander, General Douglas McArthur. When World War II ended, the world saw unimagined devastation. As Allied troops rolled across Europe, they liberated German concentration camps, seeing for the first time the scale of the Holocaust -- the systematic plan to kill all of Europe's Jews as well as gypsies and mentally handicaped people. Those that survived these horrors joined the millions of people left homeless by the war. The question of refugees was just one of the many issues confronting the victorious Allies. What should they do with the defeated countries? How could they prevent wars like this in the future? How would their own countries adopt to peacetime?

They had a whole world to put back together and reshape. It was a time of immense challenge -- and immense opportunity. The 8 Worst Mistakes Made by the Axis During World War II The 8 Worst Mistakes Made by the Axis During World War II The three major Axis powers — Germany, Japan, and Italy — committed a host of catastrophic errors during the war. But some of these miscalculations were considerably worse than others. Here are the most significant blunders made by the Axis during WWII. Advertisement Above: German soldiers fighting in Russia. Late last year we told you about the 8 worst mistakes made by the Allies during the war . Time now to turn our attention to the most serious mistakes made by Axis planners. The list, which is ordered (somewhat) chronologically, addresses planning and strategic errors rather than operational ones. Hindsight is 20/20, especially when it comes to second guessing the harrowing decisions that have… Read more Read more 1. Italy's Invasion of Greece Mussolini was unhappy in the summer of 1940. Sure, his German counterpart and trusted ally had just conquered France — but he was desperate to get in on the action and not miss the bus.

What's more, he wanted to prove to Hitler and the world that Italy was the real deal. To that end, Mussolini unilaterally decided to invade Greece. Advertisement "Hitler always faces me with a fait accompli," he confided to his brother-in-law, "This time I am going to pay him back in his own coin. He will find out from the newspapers that I have occupied Greece." The campaign commenced on October 28, 1940, but things did not go well. The Greeks immediately counterattacked, forcing the 530,000 Italian troops back. In March 1941, a subsequent Italian counterattack likewise failed. Embarrassed for his Italian ally, and eager to see the situation settle in the Balkans, Hitler came to the rescue, culminating in the complete defeat of Greece on April 23, 1941. Advertisement Sponsored But the damage was done. Germany was forced to commit troops during a time when it could ill afford to do so. It forced Germany to delay its attack on Russia by five weeks — a precious amount of time that could have precluded the Wehrmacht from having to fight during the Russian winter.

Indeed, Hitler was inclined to agree during the last days of the Reich, blaming Mussolini for the delayed attack on Russia, and Germany's subsequent defeat. Not all historians agree with this assessment, but some contend that, at the very least, it prevented Germany from consolidating its position in North Africa. 2. Germany's Invasion of Russia Called Operation Barbarossa, it was the Führer's time to jump the shark. Seeking to fulfil Germany's "destiny" in the East, Hitler was hell-bent on claiming the vast Russian territories for himself, while purging it of both Bolshevism and other "undesirable" elements — namely Jews and slavs. Convinced it would be a walk in the park, he brushed aside military intelligence's warnings, saying, "We have only to kick in the front door and the whole rotten Russian edifice will come tumbling down." Nazi Germany, drunk on its recent success in Poland and France, and further motivated by Russia's embarrassing defeat at the hands of Finland, decided to make its fateful move.

The ensuing attack on the morning of June 22, 1941, was the largest military confrontation in human history, creating a front line that extended 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south (practically the distance from Seattle to Los Angeles). At the outset, the operation involved three million Axis soldiers (across 117 army divisions), 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery guns, 1,830 planes, and 750,000 horses. In defense, the Russians amassed 132 army divisions, including 34 armoured divisions. Advertisement The attack, which would have been visible from space, began well. A little over two weeks in, some 300,000 Russians had been captured. But then, in a fatal miscalculation, Hitler paused to divert forces from Army Group Centre to the south towards Kiev. The delay proved disastrous, stalling the attack on Moscow and forcing the ill-equipped German troops to fight in one of the worst Russian winters ever recorded. Germany never recovered.

The Wehrmacht was not able to sustain its pressure on Moscow, instead fighting, and eventually retreating, from all Russian sectors. Historians still like to debate the issue of whether or not the German army, despite Hitler's meddlings, could have actually taken Russia. It's one of history's greatest 'what ifs.' 3. Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor By late 1941, the Japanese Empire had found itself in an untenable position. Its hyper-expansionist policies and steady encroachment into the South Pacific and southeast Asia made it vulnerable to ongoing military confrontations and economic sanctions, including those from the U.S., Britain, and the Netherlands (the U.S. ceased oil exports to Japan earlier that year). What's more, the U.S. was actively providing military aid to China. At this stage in the war, Japan had two options: either pull out of its recently occupied territories (including China) or grab new sources of raw materials in the resource rich European colonies of Southeast Asia. Japan, like its Axis ally earlier in the year, decided to push ahead despite the odds.

And indeed, projections showed that the U.S., should it enter the war, would eventually be able to regroup and trounce Japan. Japan's military leaders rationalized that a major offensive in the "Southern Resource Area" (the Japanese term for the Dutch East Indies and Southeast Asia) was necessary to secure the much needed rubber and oil. To stave off the Americans, Japan planned its attack on Pearl Harbor. The operation was intended to destroy important American fleet units, buy Japan precious time as it mounted its Southern Operation, and strike a severe blow to U.S. morale. Advertisement Advertisement When the infamous attack came on December 7, 1941, the Japanese achieved a limited victory; American aircraft carriers were out at sea on exercises and were untouched by the assault. These same carriers would strike a crushing blow to the Japanese fleet a mere six months later at the Battle of Midway. But more to the point, the U.S. was officially in the war. The Japanese could not handle the ensuing onslaught, nor could it keep up with U.S. production rates. Or its level of technology, as witnessed by the dropping of two atomic bombs in 1945. It's an open question as to whether or not the U.S.

would have entered the war against the Japanese had Pearl Harbor not happened (say, after an invasion of the Philippines). It's safe to say, however, that a strategic pull-back (and not even necessarily a large one), rather than a major offensive, was Japan's most prudent course of action. But it was a lesson the Japanese would never learn, as witnessed by its perpetual over-extension in the Pacific, a problem exemplified by its catastrophic defeat at Guadalcanal in early 1943. 4. Hitler's Declaration of War on the United States After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan, but not Germany. Indeed, while the US continued to supply Britain with much needed supplies, a ground war involving US troops on European soil was not a given. The anti-interventionist movement in America was still alive and well, as witnessed by the ongoing popularity of folk hero Charles Lindbergh.

A rapid-fire account of WWII as it was fought on America's homefront A rapid-fire account of WWII as it was fought on America's homefront A rapid-fire account of WWII as it was fought on… Last week we showed you CrashCourse's animated video about the United States'… Read more Read more Not content to let a sleeping dog lie (or at least a snoozing dog), Hitler declared war on the US on December 11, 1941 — three days after Pearl Harbor. But according to the Tripartite Pact, Germany was under no obligation to do so. It just promised to help Japan if it were attacked. Recognizing this, German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop stalled for time when, on December 8, Japanese Ambassador Oshima demanded that Germany declare war on America. Ribbentrop, rightfully, recognized the untenable position Germany would find itself in by doing so. Advertisement But Hitler disagreed. He was concerned that the US would get a head start and simply declare war on Germany anyway. He may have also felt a sense of obligation to his Axis ally, fearful of a potential falling out. Moreover, he thought Japan would give the Americans considerable trouble — perhaps even defeat then.

With the US out of the way, the Japanese could then join Germany in their common struggle against Russia. But as subsequent events revealed, this was not meant to be; entry into the war morphed the US into a superpower, providing the much-needed punch to the Allied effort. 5. Hitler's Fixation on Wonder Weapons Germany produced all sorts of wonderful gadgets during WWII — except the one that mattered: The atomic bomb. While the United States, Canada, and Britain worked on the Manhattan Project — a massive endeavor involving over 130,000 people and costing some $2 billion (the equivalent of $26 billion today) — Germany failed to follow suit. Its nuclear project was disjointed and poorly supported.

The Nazis failed to appreciate the finer details of theoretical physics, something it associated with "Jewish science." 11 Jaw-dropping Weapons From World War II You Probably Never Heard Of 11 Jaw-dropping Weapons From World War II You Probably Never Heard Of 11 Jaw-dropping Weapons From World War II You… The Second World War witnessed the introduction of hundreds of cutting-edge and often bizarre… Read more Read more At the same time, Hitler was obsessed with the so-called wonder weapons — the V1 and V2 rockets (a precursor to intercontinental ballistic missiles), jet aircraft (which was not a bad idea, just not a decisive one), and massive tanks. Indeed, on this last point, Hitler was insistent that Germany produce extremely large tanks. This created considerable strain on the already overstretched tank production industry, and a drain on much needed material to produce working tanks. Hitler got this idea from Eastern Front reports about Russia's huge, almost impossible-to-destroy Russian KV tanks, and later JS 1 and JS 2 tanks. Problem was, these were fully functional and proven tanks. They were fairly fast on the battlefield, had a good anti-infantry protection and so on.

As for the German answer, the model Mause, it was a useless mountain of steel. Its speed was 3 km per hour, had no small arms protection. In the summer of 1928, a young engineering student named Eugen Sänger submitted his doctoral thesis … Read more Read more 6. Hitler's Underestimation of Sea Power Germany's navy never really got the respect or support from Hitler it deserved. Led by the fanatical Nazi Admiral Karl Doenitz, the Kriegsmarine played second-fiddle to the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe throughout the war. Yes, Hitler supported the use of U-boats and wolf-pack tactics, but as a man obsessed with land battles, he never quite groked the importance of establishing superiority at sea. After the war, Doenitz attributed this shortcoming to the loss of the war. Prior to the war, when setting the budget for what was supposed to become the world's largest stadium , Hitler told Albert Speer: "That's less than two Bismarck class battleships. Look how quickly an armored ship gets destroyed, and if it survives it becomes scrap metal in 10 years anyway.

But this building will still be standing centuries from now." Hitler’s forgotten attempt to build the world’s largest Olympic stadium Hitler’s forgotten attempt to build the world’s largest Olympic stadium Hitler’s forgotten attempt to build the world’s… On September 7, 1937, German construction workers laid the cornerstone for what was to become the… Read more Read more But Germany, with all its powerful forces on land, did not have the sea power to stage the invasion of Britain. When preparing for the war, Hitler failed to recognize the importance of the British fleet as a significant threat. In the final analysis, it was Allied sea power which salvaged the situation. Indeed, the Second World War was a war of logistics. It's impossible to know what greater success Germany might have had in the Atlantic (or elsewhere ), and what further destruction it could have inflicted on Allied convoys, had the German Navy been given even the minimum sea power required for waging a global war. As 1942 began, the Americans had joined World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic began to… Read more Read more 7.

Germany's Repression of the Occupied Territories As the Wehrmacht and Red Army fought along the Eastern Front — a region consisting of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the Baltic states — many of the citizens caught in the middle saw the Germans as potential liberators. Indeed, life under Stalin was no picnic. The regime was heavy-handed, repressive — and murderous. During the early 1930s, for example, Stalin deliberately starved some 12 million Ukrainian peasants in one of history's greatest atrocities. But as the Germans ploughed through a region primed for liberation, they simply replaced one repressive regime with another. As illustrated in Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands, Nazi ideology and racism trumped practicality and common sense. Perceiving the Slavic people as "subhumans" (untermensch), the Nazis could not accept cooperation. Moreover, like the Jews, Slavs were to be uprooted from these lands, replaced by German pioneers (Hitler was very inspired by the North American example). By the time the war was over, the Germans killed 9.3 million people in Eastern Europe (5.4 million of them dying in the Holocaust ).

The harsh treatment of people in the occupied territories created a super-hostile environment for the Wehrmacht bases of operation. Partisan activity was a constant thorn in the side of the German army, as witnessed by the brutality of Nazi reprisals. As if we needed any more reminders as to the extent of Nazi brutality during the Second World War,… Read more Read more 8. The Inability of the Axis to Get Spain and Turkey to Join the Fight Spain was a member of the Axis during the war, but it never committed troops to the effort. Led by fascist dictator Francisco Franco, the country steadfastly refused to enter into the thrall. Spain was worried about cutting its oil imports from the US and engaging in yet another war (the Spanish Civil War still fresh in memory). Hitler tried to persuade Franco, but in return he asked for large quantities of grain, fuel, armed vehicles, military aircraft and other armaments. Hitler was so frustrated he threatened to annex Spanish territory. No agreement was ever reached.

Hitler famously told Mussolini, "I prefer to have three or four of my own teeth pulled out than to speak to that man again!" Advertisement Advertisement Declaring itself neutral soon after the start of the war, Turkey was concerned about a conflict with the Soviet Union. In June 1941, after its neighbor Bulgaria joined the Axis, Turkey signed a non-aggression pact with Germany. Things stayed like this until 1944 when Turkey declared war on the Axis powers. For Germany, this represented a blown opportunity.

Question: During World War II, the Allies 'Operation Olympic', was a plan to invade which country?
Answer: JAPAN